Just Another Day
by ThatNerdyWriter
Summary: High school was much different than Junior high. Everyone changed, some for the better, some for the worst. But when Edd's thoughts turned sour due to the comments of others, someone surprising comes to save the day. KEVEDD. Rated T for mentions of self harm and suicide. (I do not own Nat, c2ndy2c1d owns him)
1. Chapter 1

Everything had changed so much. Time comes and time goes, time changes and so does people. It was hard to comprehend sometimes, how things happen this way. People drift apart, friends become acquaintances and bullies lose interest. Well, sometimes they do. Sometimes it gets worse. It's hard to believe how fast people change when they reach high school. Everything changes when you reach high school, and nothing from middle school matters. Nothing you did transitions over, and new things are created, new rumors to ruin your life. And there are new stories that come to light, some real and some fake. Everyone falls victim to these lies or painful truths at one point in their high school experience, but you always think that they will blow over in a week or two like they did in middle school. Well, try years. For Eddward Marion Vincent, those rumors have yet to go away, even after years of hanging around Ed and Eddy, and being bullied throughout his young adult life, nothing could have prepared him for what high school would bring.

Freshman year was fine. The trio came in, all fresh faced and wide eyed, ready to prove wrong the stereotypes that all friends lose touch after the struggles of the higher grades. Yes, freshman year was easy, but then freshman year ended. Then came sophomore, and junior, and senior, but sophomore year is when everything gets messy. Old friends turn into new enemies and some hold it their mission in life to make sure that you pay for just being alive. Bullies become worse in high school. The word "dork" is no longer an insult, no, there are much worse things than being called dork. Edd had heard all of the insults created in the world by all of the vicious teenagers whose whole purpose is to hurt you, whether physically or mentally.

It was his sophomore year when things began to go downhill for Edd. He was in all honors and AP classes and was going to be president of the Math Club by the end of sophomore year. But then things began to change for him, changes that he didn't quite understand, but it wasn't that bad. Well, he thought it wasn't that bad, but then the news was let out. Then things really got bad. Everyone turned on him, all of his friend and everyone at Peach Creek turned their back on him and started picking on him, even the loveable oath Ed had followed Eddy's lead and turned against him. Yes, even Ed. Believe it or not, Ed changed quite a bit, just like everyone else at Peach Creek.

Ed had grown up quite a bit in the years to Senior year. He had begun to take his school work more seriously and he matured greatly. He was pretty smart too, once he went to Edd for tutoring in their sophomore year. After that, he was able to catch onto everything and actually be able to comprehend and apply what he learned about. Edd was proud of him, glad he was finally able to grow up and know stuff about other things than his comic books. Now that he didn't scare people, he was pretty popular.

Eddy gave up on his scams, realizing they would never work, and he grew into a popular boy very quickly. For some reason, many begun to befriend him, trusting him now that he wasn't always trying to scam them. He changed a lot too, but not for the better. He ditched Edd and Ed in their sophomore year for his new friends and drugs. Yes, drugs and alcohol. Edd tried to advise Eddy that they would control his life and he needed to worry more about school and what he would do with the rest of his life, but he wouldn't listen. That was when he ditched the other two and he begun to become the bully he always hated. He had nearly failed out of school, only barely passing from stealing the school work of all of the nerds- Edd included.

Kevin had changed quite a bit as well. He and Nazz never started dating, as all had assumed they would, but they had always remained friends. They were both still popular and they had befriended Nat Goldberg, another popular kid with bright teal hair. The three were inseparable. Kevin was a little better at his school work, since he wanted to go to a good college. He also had replaced his bike for a motorcycle. He didn't bully as much as he used to either, Eddy did enough of that for him.

Sarah and Jimmy were still friends, but they never started dating either. Jimmy got his headgear taken off and his teeth were perfect. He was quite attractive too and he wasn't as whimpy. Sarah wasn't as mean either and she was beautiful.

Rolf was planning on leaving after senior year to go back to his country to tend to his grandfather's farm. He tended to hang to himself, but he was still pretty popular, compared to Edd.

Johnny ditched Plank when he entered high school, realizing that it was making him unpopular. He was a bit of a bully himself too, after years of being bullied, he caught onto a few of the tricks. He was popular, but not as popular as Eddy.

And then there comes Edd. Even he had changed a lot. Even if he was still quite nerdy, he wasn't the same dork he used to be. That mostly changed in his sophomore year when everyone turned against him. He begun to care less about getting dressed in his cardigans and ties, and he simply wore plain shirts (mostly black) and skinny jeans-though he still wore his black beanie. He also sported hoodies quite a bit, to cover up bruises mostly. The bullies in high school were much worse than they were in junior high. He nearly broke his arm at one point, and his pale skin was constantly covered in bruises. There was the physical abuse as well as the mental, which honestly might have been worse.

And that was what led him to that point, he supposed. All of the abuse just broke him. He was an empty shell of the person he used to be. His arms were coated in scars- some he made and some others gave. He stood atop of the roof of the school (how he managed to get up there without anyone noticing, he would never explain). He stared over the edge, watching the students who were running late run into the school, panicked that they would be late. This was it, maybe. Once everyone left… He could so easily jump, just end it all. He couldn't handle the abuse, he couldn't handle having no one. He couldn't handle everyone turning on him after they learned his secret. It made no sense. If the secret was anyone else's, no one would care. But it was because it was the nerd, the freak, the sockheaded dork. That was simply the only reason, and it stung. The words stung, everything stung. And he hated it. His parents were always away, working in the hospital got busy. He barely talked to them anymore, all they did was pay the bills for the house and let him do everything else. He was a senior, he would soon be doing everything on his own anyway. He already had universities throwing themselves at him, wanting him to come to their college, but he didn't exactly care about college, to be honest. He didn't know what he would do after high school, he didn't want to imagine what would happen. He didn't want anything to happen. He wanted to die.

But some things never change throughout the years, and Edd was the same coward he always was. And he couldn't do it. He just stared down as the last kid came running. It was Nathan Goldberg, probably the only kid in the whole town who would talk to him, mostly because he was flirting with him-but Nat flirted with everyone. His signature teal hair bounced in the air as he ran, but he suddenly stopped and looked up at the roof. Edd quickly jumped down from the ledge and ran off to the stairs, hoping that the teal-haired boy didn't notice him, and he went back into the school. Half of the class period was over, so he decided that he would just hang in the boys bathroom until the next hour. There was an old bathroom that didn't even work, so most didn't go in. It was dark and dirty, since if it didn't work, there was no need for the janitors to clean it. Edd sat down on the ground next to the line of sinks, a spot that he hand begun to call his own. He tossed his backpack on the ground and pulled his legs to his chest. Today was just another day...


	2. Chapter 2

Nat practically ran through the hallways to his class, but not because he was late. He had news to tell, big gossip. Everyone including the teacher turned as he burst into the room.

"Nathan, do you have a pass? I do hope you're aware that you're quite late."

"I do, I apologize." He said, giving a little half bow. "It won't happen again, ma'am." The teacher nodded and went back to the lesson. Everyone liked Nat and he could charm anyone into doing whatever he asked. He smirked and went to his seat before plopping down next to Kevin.

"You'll never guess what I saw." Nat whispered and leaned toward his red-headed friend.

"Dude, I'm not interested in your gossip." Kevin groaned, but Nazz perked up.

"But I am! What is it?" Nat smirked.

"You know that cutie nerd with the beanie on his head?" Now this perked Kevin's attention. What did Nat see with the dork? He never did anything. He turned to look at the seat furthest in the back where the dork would sit, but it was empty. He never missed school, even if he wasn't as big of a nerd and obsessed with education as he once was when they were kids.

"What about Double Dorko?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry dollface, I thought you weren't interested in my gossip." Nat said with a big teasing grin on his face. Kevin just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, and I told you not to call me that, dude." Nat shrugged his shoulders, but his face went serious.

"He was standing on the roof of the school, looked like he was going to jump." The color drained from his friends' faces.

"Are you serious?" Nazz asked after a moment. "How do you know this?"

"Well, I slept in so I was running to school so I wouldn't be too late. But get this, there was a squirrel running beside me the whole time!"

"Dude, no one cares about the squirrel. Get to the Sockhead part."

"Just let me tell my story! Now, where was I? Oh right, so the squirrel was running beside me until I was at the parking lot for the school, then he jumped up into a tree. I looked up to find him when I saw the kid standing on the ledge, staring down. As soon as he saw me look up, he jumped from the ledge and he ran out of my sight. Then I ran here as soon as I could to tell you guys." Nazz just stared in horror and Kevin in shock.

"I never thought the dork had it in him…"

"I don't think he did, that's why he didn't jump. I'm assuming at least." Kevin pulled off his signature red baseball cap and he ran his hand through his red hair.

"What would make him do that?" Now Nazz's attention turned to her friend.

"You're joking, right Kev?" At the shake of his head, she continued. "He gets bullied constantly. Why do you think he wears that hoodie all the time?" To be honest, he never really thought of Edd. The dork trio broke up in sophomore year and they all begun to lead different lives. Eddy was the biggest jerk in school and Ed was just popular, but he never really thought about the other Ed boy. But maybe he should have noticed. He didn't tease the kid anymore, but he should have known others would. Just because he grew up since they were younger and stopped bullying everyone, that didn't mean others wouldn't. "Did you really not notice?" Kevin snapped out of his mind and he shook his head.

"No, I really didn't." Nat shook his head.

"Kid has no friends, which is sad. He's a cutie patootie." Kevin rolled his eyes. The dork had grown up quite a bit and puberty has been kind to him. He had a little bit of muscle- he had to with all of the scams that Eddy made him do when he was younger and all of the heavy lifting he had to do. His skin was still pale and you could just barely see his raven dark hair underneath the black beanie he always wore (though no one knew why). His features were soft and his face was a little thin, but still round. He was pretty attractive, compared to most their age, he had to admit.

"Save your flirting for when I'm not here to hear it." Kevin groaned. "I didn't know the dork had it so rough." The three jumped slightly as the bell rang and everyone around them sprung out of their seats. Kevin threw his stuff into his bag before standing. He would talk to Edd, he decided. The kid must have been having it rough if he nearly jumped off a roof. Luckily, it didn't take much searching to find the dork exiting that old bathroom no one ever went near. This was the first time Kevin really looked at him since they entered high school. He was thin, incredibly thin. His hoodie hung loosely on him and his eyes looked heavy.

"Hey dork!" Kevin yelled and instead of turning, Edd made a break for it. Kevin frowned but ran after him. The dork was pretty fast, but after all of those years as captain of the football team, he was faster. He was just going to grab his arm, but he stumbled over his feet and knocked the smaller boy to the ground.

"Dude, what the hell?" Edd's hands went up to shield his face, waiting for the impact. "I'm not going to hit you." Edd's hands slowly came down and he looked up at him with his shocked, pale blue eyes.

"Y-you're not?" Kevin stood up and he held out his hand to help him up.

"No, man, just wanted to talk." Edd hesitantly took his hand and stood up, smoothing out his dark, navy blue shirt.

"What do you wish to talk about, Kevin?" Edd asked. His cheeks were slightly painted red with embarrassment and he looked down at his feet.

"Nat said he saw you on the roof today." Edd froze in his spot, his skin growing pale. Kevin started to walk away, but noticed Edd frozen. "You okay man?"

"Y-yes…" Edd mumbled and began following Kevin to their next class, which they shared together. "Why do you bring it up?" Kevin shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Well, I… Are you okay?" Edd looked up at him.

"I have already answered you Kevin-"

"No, I meant in general." Edd stared at the boy a few inches taller than him. He was very muscular with freckles showing across his face. He was handsome, very handsome.

"I…" Edd stuttered, not knowing what to say. "Yes, I'm fine." He finally decided would be best to say. It was a lie, of course, but it was all he could manage to force out. He then put on his signature fake smile. Kevin saw through it, but he didn't say anything.

"Why do you get teased?" Kevin asked as they walked into their class. Edd turned to him, looking dumbfounded.

"You don't know?" Kevin shook his head. Edd looked down at the ground.

"A secret of mine got out." That was all he said before making his way to his seat in the back. Kevin's seat was in the front, he couldn't have been further from Edd. He was interested, he wanted to know what the secret was that made him get picked on to the point where he tried to jump from the school's roof. He sighed and made his way to his seat and he plopped down, deciding to ask him more about it later. The bell rang and the teacher began their lesson, but Kevin didn't listen. He just watched Edd out of the corner of his eye. He didn't really know why he was so interested in him all of the sudden. After years of not thinking about him at all, he suddenly just popped into his mind and wouldn't leave. Maybe it was because he would never expect he dork to do something as major as try to kill himself. Or think about it, it really didn't seem like he was going to go through with it. He seemed ashamed of the fact that anyone knew about it, or that he did it. Some things never change, it seemed. Whatever the lesson was about, Kevin never figured out, since he spent the whole hour watching the sockheaded boy, trying to figure him out. He was set out on going to talk to him again, but the second the bell rang, Edd jumped to his feet and he ran from the room. Kevin groaned and he leaned back in his chair for a moment before throwing his backpack over his shoulder and leaving the room. He wouldn't have Edd in another one of his classes until lunch, so he would just have to wait until then.

The lunchroom buzzed, as usual. Everyone was talking loudly, yelling at their friends from across the room. Eddy's booming laughter could be heard from a mile away as he and some of his friends picked on a little freshman boy with thick, nerdy glasses. Kevin sighed and his eyes scoped the room, looking for a certain boy. But, to his dismay, he couldn't find him.

"What is wrong, Casanova Kevin-boy?" Rolf asked as he took a large bite out of his sandwich containing god-knows-what. "Your attention seems to be somewhere else, yes?" Kevin turned to his blue haired friend and he shook his head.

"Nothing, Rolf." Nat smirked and leaned toward the red head.

"Are you still hung up over that dreamboat, Eddward?" Nat joked and Kevin rolled his eyes.

"No way, man. Just thinking." Nat took a look around the cafeteria.

"Okay, let me guess. You're looking for someone, I think. What do you think, Nazz sweetheart? Who isn't here?" Nazz smirked and she looked around.

"Let's see… I see a lot of people. We are here, Rolf too, Sarah and Jimmy, the Kankers, Ed and Eddy… Oh, I think I know." Kevin slapped both of their arms.

"Shut up, I'm not looking for anyone." Nat smirked wider and draped his arm over Kevin's shoulder.

"Does Kevin have a little crush?"

"No! And get your arm off of me." He squirmed out from his grasp. He groaned and picked at his foot.

"What's bothering you, babe?" Nat asked, though his flirtatious tone left his voice and he just watched him.

"I asked the dork why everyone was teasing him and he said that a secret got out. Do you know what the secret is?" Nat held up his hands in defense.

"I'm not one to gossip." Kevin glared.

"Yes you are! Just tell me, will ya?" Nat shook his head.

"No can do, Kev." Nazz nodded, agreeing.

"Yeah, I'm not going to be the one to talk about it. But I'm surprised you don't know. It went all around the school during sophomore year. It's something personal to Edd and I won't talk about it."

"Well who told everyone his secret?" He asked, realizing that no one was going to explain what really happened.

"I think it was Eddy. Edd told him and he thought he told it to everyone. And everyone turned on him, even Ed wouldn't talk to him. I see Ed talk to him every once in awhile, but then his friends will tell him not to talk to him so he won't." Kevin sighed and took off his hat to run his hand through his hair.

"Poor dork…" He mumbled to himself and looked down at his food. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had jelly seeping out of the sides. Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry. He stood with the sandwich, planning on throwing it out, but he got distracted when he noticed a thin figure make its way into the boy's bathroom. Curious, he made his way to the door and opened it just in time to see Edd sit down next to the row of sinks.

"Hey dork." He greeted and walked over, making himself known.

"Why are you sitting in here?" Edd shifted, not used to having company in his bathroom.

"I don't enjoy the lunchroom scene and the library is normally full, so I spend the lunch hour in here." He answered, looking down at his hands, which were wrung together.

"Where's your lunch?" Kevin asked, observing that he didn't have any food with him.

"I don't have any." Edd admitted quietly, staring off at his hands. "My parents offer no extra money for lunch as they used to, and my money for groceries is quite slim." Kevin studied his face, not able to tell if it was a lie or not. His eye then traveled to the sandwich in his hands. Before he could even let the idea pop into his head, he tossed the sandwich his way.

"Here, I'm not hungry, you can have it." Edd lamely caught the sandwich and looked up at him.

"I cannot take your food, Kevin." Kevin shook his head.

"Take it. Like I said, I wasn't going to eat it anyway." Edd's pale eyes searched his vibrant green ones for a moment before he nodded.

"Okay… Thank you, Kevin. How can I repay you?" Kevin shook his head, waving it off.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you later, okay dork?" Before Edd could answer, Kevin left the bathroom and went back to the table with his friends. Nat smirked and leaned toward him.

"So, about that crush…" Kevin groaned and slapped his arm.

"Shut up, Nat."


	3. Chapter 3

Edd found himself pacing his bedroom, walking from wall to wall over and over again. Why was Kevin suddenly so interested in him? Oh dear, he really wished he wasn't. Since Kevin was the main reason of his secret. He couldn't help it, honestly he couldn't. If he could, it definitely wouldn't be Kevin who was the center of his thoughts, definitely not Kevin. His room was a mess, though he hated to say. He knocked things over in a tiny fit of rage and frustration simply because he just didn't understand. Halfway through his pacing to the other wall, he froze. It made sense. This was Kevin, the boy who teased him endlessly when they were kids. He was using him, just like he would when they were younger. Edd sat down on the ground, not even bothering to sit on the bed that was only a foot or so away. How could he be so stupid? How could he actually think that someone, let alone Kevin, could care about his well being? Why didn't he just jump?

He stayed sitting on the floor for a long time, his head buried in his hands and his knees to his chest, before he decided to stop feeling sorry for himself. He spent half an hour cleaning his room and putting everything back to how it was before he came in. Once everything was in order, he grabbed his backpack, which he halfheartedly threw on the ground. When he picked it up, the bag with the sandwich Kevin gave him fell out. No, he didn't eat it. He didn't eat lunch, not because he didn't have enough money to eat, he just didn't see the point in it. He tossed the untouched sandwich in the garbage can before he sat down at his desk and took out his homework. All of his homework and studying took only twenty minutes, to his dismay. When he was younger, he would run outside and play with the other cul-de-sac kids, but now, he didn't have much to do besides sit in his home on his own. He sighed and went downstairs to his living room and he sat on the couch before turning on the television. He was halfway through a documentary when his doorbell rang. How peculiar, who could it be? He quickly grabbed his hoodie and threw it on to cover his arms before opening the door.

"Hey sweetcheeks." To his surprise, the flirtatious teal haired boy stood at his door, leaning against the frame with a smirk on his face.

"Greetings Nathan, is there anything I can do for you?" He pushed himself from where he leaned and he invited himself inside.

"Just wanted to talk to you." Edd shut the door and turned to look at the boy who was now messing with the nicknacks he had in the hallway on tables. He looked at a picture on a wall. It was of Edd when he was a child, a big gap-toothed grin on his face and two other people. One was a tall man who looked like the strong-but-silent type. The other was a woman with bright blue eyes and dark black hair. She was skinny with sharp features.

"Look at that gap, oh you were so cute! Do you still have it? Let me see a smile!" Edd had never pulled his lips closed so tight in his life.

"I do not, thankfully, I had braces before I entered high school to mistake that flaw." Nat grinned.

"Well I think you were adorable with that gap. Is that your parents? I've never seen them around." Nat had moved to Peach Creek when they were entering their freshman year, so it was not unbelievable that he wasn't aware of his parents.

"They do not live here, they live in New York. You see, they are doctors and they are much too busy to be hanging around here." Nat frowned and turned to him.

"How come you live here on your own then? Why don't you move to New York?" Edd sighed and messed with his hat.

"Believe me, I have thought of it… Originally, it was because of my friends, they didn't want to pull me away. Now they are simply too busy to realize how unhappy I am here." To Edd's surprise, Nat pulled him in for a too tight bear hug.

"Aww! Poor Double Delectable!" Edd's cheeks turned bright red and he managed to squirm out of his grasp. Though he no longer had a few of physical contact such as hugging, he still didn't like that. It also physically hurt.

"No need to worry, Nathan." He smoothed out his hoodie.

"Call me Nat, baby." Edd pulled his hat down over his face in attempt to hide his blush and he could hear Nat's flirtatious chuckle. When he pulled his hat back up, he noticed that Nat was no longer standing where he once was. He looked around before heading into the living room. Still, there was no Nat. Maybe he just imagined him? But that was proved wrong when he heard his voice echo off the walls of the kitchen.

"Don't you have any soda?" Edd sighed and followed him in, slightly pushing him away to reach into his fridge and pull out one of the few cans of soda he kept just in case he had company (no one had drunk soda in that house for a while).

"Thanks." Nat grinned and he opened the can. He grabbed onto Edd's arm and pulled him into the living room and onto the couch. He kicked his feet up, much to Edd's dismay.

"So, what is it you would like to talk about?" Edd asked, crossing one leg over the other. Nat looked at him and for the first time, he looked completely serious.

"I want to talk about what I saw this morning." Edd looked down at his lap.

"I had a feeling that was what this was about… Kevin told me you saw…" Nat nodded and set his soda can on a coaster.

"Yes, I did. And I have a feeling that you saw me. Why else would you run off like that?" When Edd didn't say anything, he continued. "Were you really going to do it?" Without looking up at him, Edd answered,

"I was planning on it…." Nat waited for him to continue, but he remained silent.

"But?" He finally asked when he didn't continue talking, and what he said wasn't enough.

"I chickened out." He mumbled, messing with the sleeve of his hoodie. To his shock, Nat placed a hand on his knee.

"I don't want to see you up there again." Edd slowly looked up at him and into his sharp yellow eyes.

"I hate to inform you, Nathan, but this is none of your business, it is mine." He shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but Nat didn't release him from his glare.

"Well, I hate to alarm you, sweetheart, but you wouldn't be talking to me about it if it were none of my business." Edd stood up, letting Nat's hand fall off of his lap.

"It is not, Nathan. I am simply talking to you because I have no one else to talk to." Nat stood up after him, his yellow eyes softening.

"I am aware of that, Edd." No 'sweetheart' or any other pet names, just Edd. "I know you don't, and that's why I'm here." The one person who talked to him was the one person who flirted with everyone. Why wasn't he surprised? Nat didn't care about him, really. It was just an excuse to flirt like he always did.

"There's no need to worry about me." Edd said, obviously defensive. Nat groaned.

"Come on, Edd." He grabbed his arm and Edd immediately hissed and yanked it away. "Are you okay?" There it was, his walls went up completely.

"Thank you for your consideration and your worry, Nathan, but it is unneeded." Nat opened his mouth to speak, but only gasped as Edd started pushing him to the door. He opened the door and pushed him out. "Thank you, I shall see you at school tomorrow, have a nice evening." Before Nat could say anything, Edd shut the door. He sighed and slid his back down the wooden door. Since his house was warm, due to the cold weather outside, he slid off his hoodie and studied the scars and bruises going up his arms. He sighed and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. He just couldn't catch a break, could he? Exhausted from the day, he locked the door and shut off the television before going up to bed, skipping dinner altogether.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this chapter is kind of short and bad, but I have finals this week so I've been stressing. Anyway, enjoy!**

Nat went up to Kevin the next day at school and he plopped down in his seat next to him.

"So I went to talk with Double D last night." Kevin shrugged, a little surprised that he didn't use one of his flirtatious nicknames to describe him.

"Yeah, so?" He asked, not sure why he was being told.

"I asked him a bit about what I saw yesterday morning, and he was pretty quick to talk to me about it. I think he really needs someone to talk to." Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

"Then why don't you go talk to him?" Nat shook his head.

"I don't think the kid likes me too much, I'm a little too much for him, I think. But you on the other hand…"

"Whoa dude, you want me to talk with him?" He sat up, looking at his teal haired friend like he lost his mind.

"Yes. He's gone through a lot with everyone picking on him. Nazz and I are always there for you when you're upset, but he doesn't have anyone. Besides, you knew each other when you were kids, didn't you?"

"Well yeah, but I used to bully him, I doubt I'm the companion he wants."

"Oh, so this is a lack of self-esteem thing." Nat smirked slyly and Kevin groaned.

"I just don't want to do it, dude. He's a nerd and I really don't know a thing about him."

"Well neither do I. And it's not like you have to do a lot of talking, just listen to him. He's got a lot of problems in his mind and he needs to talk about them."

"I'm not his therapist."

"Come on, Kev. I know that it bugs you that he almost did what he did, since whether you like to believe it or not, you were close as kids. So honestly, just eat lunch with him or something. Just sit with him, give him company, someone to talk to if he needs it. How would you feel if everyone in the school hated you? I know, you really have to think hard since everyone in this school is in love with you," He teased. "But just think. How would you feel?" Kevin groaned and leaned back in his chair, not answering his question. Luckily he didn't have to, as the bell rang and the teacher began their lesson. But he knew that Nat wouldn't let it go that easily.

Edd made his way into the bathroom where he always spent his lunch period and he sat underneath the sinks, ready to spend the hour undisturbed. So far, he managed to go through the day without anyone picking on him, luckily. Eddy was absent from school so all the normal bullies seemed nicer, lost without him. He leaned back and closed his eyes. He groaned as the door opened, disturbing his worry free period. But he didn't open his eyes until he felt someone sit down next to him and dig into his backpack. Kevin pulled out a brown paper sack and he pulled out a sandwich before tossing it at the smaller boy.

"Eat, you look hungry." Edd stared at the bagged peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a moment in silence.

"Though I appreciate your offer, Kevin0"

"It's not an offer." Kevin cut him off. "It's a demand. Now eat." Kevin's face held no emotion and honestly, it frightened him a bit, so he did as he was told and unbagged the sandwich before taking a bite. Betraying him, his stomach growled, showing his hunger. Kevin didn't notice-or pretended that he didn't notice- and he proceeded to empty out the rest of the sack's contents and grabbing a bag of chips.

"Eat whatever you want, I'm not really that hungry." Kevin informed as he opened the bag with a loud pop and grabbed a chip. The only noise between them was the crunching of Kevin's chips for a long time before Edd cleared his throat to speak.

"I must ask you, KEvin, why aren't you spending the lunch period with your friends?" Kevin shrugged his shoulders before crumpling up the now empty chip bag.

"You looked lonely in here by yourself, I thought you could use a lunch buddy." Edd rose his eyebrow suspiciously.

"Did Nathan put you up to this?" Kevin simply shook his head.

"No man, why do you ask?"

"Because Nathan visited me last night in my home and demanded I explain what he saw earlier that day. Besides, the Kevin I knew when we were kids would never eat lunch with me because I looked lonely."

"Well I'm not the Kevin I used to be." The two were silent for a long while. Edd stole Kevin's granola bar and he quietly unwrapped it.

"I don't know why you like it in here." Kevin spoke up after a while. "It stinks in here." Edd couldn't help but snort a small half laugh.

"It's quiet and no one disturbs me." He looked at Kevin. "Usually." Kevin chuckled slightly.

"Sorry."

"No bother." Edd leaned back and muched on his granola bar. "So… Is this a one time thing, or…" Kevin shrugged.

"I don't know if I could spend another day eating in a dirty old bathroom." Edd nodded his head quickly.

"No, of course not." How could he be so stupid to think he really wanted to be around him?

"So you should sit at my lunch table." Edd froze momentarily, processing his words.

"You-you want me to sit with you and your friends at lunch?" He nodded his head. "Won't they mind?" He shook his head to the comment.

"Not at all." Kevin answered before standing up and holding out his hand. "Come on, I'll show you." Edd stared at his hand for a moment before he took it and allowed him to help him stand. Kevin started picking up the trash (which Edd was grateful for, since he had a large blush painted across his cheeks). He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down as Kevin led him out of the bathroom and into the lunchroom. There were a million conversations going all at once and it was so loud that you could barely focus on your own thoughts. Kevin led the smaller boy to his lunch table and sat down, letting Edd sit in the spot next to him.

"Hey Double D!" Nazz grinned. Nazz was as bubbly as she always had been, Edd wondered how she always seemed so happy and perky, even on the cloudiest of days. He wondered if she faked it sometimes… After all, you can't be happy all the time, some of her smiles had to be fake, didn't they?

"Greetings Nazz." Edd said quietly, trying to push his thoughts out of his head.

"Hey sweetcheeks." Nat smirked at him and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Greetings Nathan." Edd greeted him quietly as well, not looking up from his lap. That was as much as they really said to him, as they continued with their other conversation, occasionally pulling him into the conversation, but not forcing him to stay in it-which he was grateful for. He mostly just listened to what they had to say and laughed along with them when it seemed appropriate. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, he had no worries. He wasn't hiding, he was just simply enjoying himself. He forgot what it was like, and he liked it. He really wished it would never end…

As lunch ended, Nat pulled Kevin away quickly to talk to him.

"See, I told you the cutie needed this." Kevin rolled his eyes.

"He didn't even talk to me about anything, dude. You said he needed to talk. If he needed to talk so bad, why didn't he?"

"Because he's not truly ready to talk about how he feels. He's broken, Kev, he needs to be fixed first. And in all this time that I've seen the kid, this is the most happy I've ever seen him." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows.

"He didn't look happy. He looked incredibly awkward." Nat wrapped his arm around Kevin's shoulder and continued walking out of the cafeteria and into the hallway.

"That's because you knew him when you were kids, before all of this and everyone turned against him. You saw him when he was really happy. To you, that didn't look happy, but to me, it looked like he was having the time of his life." Kevin rolled his eyes and wormed out of Nat's grasp.

"Whatever you want to think, Nat. Why are you so interested in if he's happy or not anyway dude? You know he will never let you get in his pants, he's not that kind of guy." Nat cleared his throat and punched his shoulder.

"He's been through a lot, and I think it's time that someone was on his side, that's all." Kevin groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever dude. But trust me, he's not going to go anywhere near that table tomorrow." Nat's signature sly smirk played across his lips.

"I bet you twenty bucks he does."


	5. Chapter 5

The air was filled with the thick scent of dirty clothes, dust and sweat. Edd felt fat fingers entwined in his hair and go underneath his beanie. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. No, he did scream, he did cry, but it did no good. No one could hear. No one would save him.

Edd let out a panicked gasp as he jumped up into a sitting position on his bed. Sweat soaked hair clung to his skin and he took several deep breaths to calm down from the panic the dream had caused him. It was only a dream, it was only a dream… But it felt all too real. Turning to his clock, he silently cursed. He must have slept through his alarm. He jumped to his feet, neglecting to make his bed due to lack of time, and he halfheartedly got dressed for the day ahead of him. Quickly grabbing his backpack and ignoring breakfast completely, he ran out of the house and made his way to Peach Creek High School just in time. He plopped down in his seat in the back and tilted his head back and closed his eyes, allowing himself to calm down for a moment. When they opened, he noticed there were eyes on him. Not just any eyes, those deep forest green eyes that held something between intimidation and an odd touch of sweetness. Once his eyes found them, Kevin turned his head quickly, hoping that Edd didn't catch him staring. Why was he staring anyway? He didn't have much time to think since the bell rang loudly and class began as usual.

Lunch came around and Kevin plopped down in his seat with his lunch, looking around.

"Well Nat, looks like you owe me twenty bucks, since the dork isn't here." Nat groaned and he pulled his wallet out of his pants.

"Whatever dude." As he started pulling out the money, the skinny boy practically ran to the table and sat next to Kevin.

"Pardon me for my lateness. I was...um...kept up at my locker." Nat smirked and held his hand out to Kevin.

"Now, twenty bucks please." Edd watched them in confusion as Kevin groaned and pulled out his wallet. Nazz giggled softly.

"Kevin just lost a bet they made." Nazz explained to him, noticing his confusion, but not giving him many details. Edd nodded and he watched the red head hand over the money.

"Thank you very much, doll." Nat smirked and placed his wallet back in his pockets. "So, Double Delectable, what kept you at your locker so long?" He asked, turning to Edd. His cheeks got a little pink, he wasn't expecting anyone to question his lie.

"I couldn't get my locker open." He lied again. Truth be told he fell asleep in his last class and he was questioning the teacher on what they learned. He had been having the dream every night recently and he couldn't get any sleep. He didn't know why the dream was locked in his head and recurring all of the sudden, but it was and he didn't believe that he had to share it with all of them. Nazz nodded, not wanting to push him too far to where he wasn't comfortable.

"I get that problem all the time, dude. Was there something jammed in front of the door?" Before Edd could open his mouth to answer, Kevin snorted.

"Him? No way, because that would imply that his locker was messy enough to get something jammed. His locker is probably neat, unlike yours, Nazz." Edd cleared his throat.

"No, something was jammed. You see, I was a little tired this morning and I admit that I may have not been as meticulous as I normally am with making sure that everything is in its place, and the cover of a notebook got stuck." He explained and Nazz slapped Kevin's arm.

"See, I told you! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, D, it's alright." She grinned at him, causing Edd to shift slightly in his seat. Kevin emptied out his lunch bag and Edd furrowed his eyebrows when he saw that there was two of everything. Kevin separated the lunches and he pushed half of it to Edd.

"Here, I decided that I would get you some of your own so you weren't eating all of my lunch." Edd's cheeks turned pink and Kevin chuckled. "I'm joking, dude."

"Well, thank you Kevin, all of this is much appreciated."

"Don't sweat it." He said as he took his sandwich out of the bag. The three friends began to talk like they did yesterday, including Edd every once in awhile while they talked. Halfway through a conversation, Kevin pulled out and leaned toward Edd.

"Why did you look so tired this morning?" He asked. "You seem like the kind of person who goes to sleep at the same time every night so you have the same amount of sleep every night." Edd shrugged his shoulders and he nibbled on a potato chip.

"You would be wrong, Kevin. Well, I try to at least, but sometimes I fail and I get more or less sleep one night than I did the other. And I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, as I stayed up late to study for the test we have in history class today. That was all." Kevin shrugged his shoulders and he turned back to his friend's conversation. Edd stayed quiet the rest of lunch. He hated lying so much, but he didn't want to admit what had been bothering him while he slept, Because he didn't realize why it was coming back to him, why then? Lunch soon ended and he stood to dump out his trash. He nearly dropped it all over the floor when Kevin grabbed his wrist.

"If something is going on, you can tell me, okay?" Kevin said in a hushed voice, sending shivers down Edd's spine.

"C-Certainly Kevin." He answered, flustered. Kevin released his wrist and without another word, he left to follow Nazz and Nat, leaving Edd where he stood.

While Edd was walking to his next class, he was shocked to hear his name being called.

"Hey Edd!" Edd turned to see Sarah run over and wrap her arm around him. "Hey, it's been awhile."

"Greetings Sarah, though I'm not trying to be rude, but why are you talking to me?" He asked her, a little shocked. Jimmy came up behind her and he gave Edd a smile, showing off his beautiful teeth.

"Hey Double D!" Edd looked at the boy who had grown up quite a bit since he had entered high school.

"Greetings Jimmy." Sarah tugged on his shoulder and continued walking with him.

"I just wanted to say hello. It's been a long time since we talked." Edd nodded his head.

"Yes, not since a rumor about me went around school and everyone turned their backs on me." Sarah laughed nervously and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sarah was a few inches taller than him, and Jimmy about one inch shorter. Edd looked up at her, still confused.

"Which leads me again to ask, why are you talking to me?" Sarah released him, noticing that having her arm around him was making him uncomfortable.

"Nazz has been talking to people at school, telling everyone that what Eddy said about you was just a stupid rumor and it wasn't true."

"It's not." Edd said, wringing his hands together. The rumor wasn't true either. Well, one part of it was true, and a bit of the other, but Eddy stretched his words and made it seem worse than it was, different and wrong.

"We should have believed you, Double D." Jimmy said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "And we're sorry we didn't stand by you when no one else did." Sarah nodded her head.

"Yeah, and a lot of others feel the same way, Nazz really got us to realize how stupid we were being and how insensitive Eddy is." Jimmy nodded, agreeing. "Well, we have to get to class, but maybe we could hang out later, okay D?" She barely gave him time to answer before she and Jimmy rushed off, hearing them talk when they thought he was far enough away.

"Good thing we caught him." Sarah said to Jimmy.

"Yeah. Poor Edd, I wish we would have been kinder to him." Edd stood there in the middle of the hallway long after the bell rang, signifying that he was late. But he didn't care, he was still trying to figure out what just happened.

Edd couldn't help but notice that Nat's attention had become focused on him after lunch ended. He would constantly feel his sharp yellow eyes on him the entire rest of the day. Needless to say, he was glad when he could go home and escape his stare. But, unfortunately, his victory was short lived. After about twenty minutes of being home and working on homework, he heard a loud knock at his door. It sounded rushed, almost panicked. The knocking continued, obviously not happy that Edd took his time getting up and heading over to open the door. There stood Nat, his yellow eyes looking panicked. He pushed himself into the house without Edd having the time to invite him in and he shut the door before turning to the smaller, confused boy.

"You can't go to school tomorrow." Nat said, his voice rushed. Edd blinked in confusion and he shifted from one foot to the other.

"And why can I not attend school, Nathan? I do not like missing school, as I am sure you are aware. So much learning to go on without me that I could miss. Just think-"

"He's back." Edd shut his mouth as Nat cut him off and he took a moment to comprehend what he said.

"Pardon me? Who is back? And why does him being back make me need to miss school?"

"Andrew Lans." All of the blood drained from Edd's face and he stood there, speechless.

"And by back, you mean…"

"He's coming back to school." He answered, walking closer to the shocked boy.

"I'm only saying this because I want to help. Edd, you cannot go to school again. Nazz has been talking to people and telling everyone at school that what Eddy said was only a rumor, and if she was lying, we don't want that to get out." Edd looked down, not saying anything.

"Edd, if she was lying, you have to tell me now."

"She was and she wasn't." He said without looking up. "It's a long story…" Nat shrugged his shoulders.

"I've got time."

 **A little bit of a cliffhanger, if you can call it that. All will be explained soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

Kevin arrived at school early the next day, wanting to make sure that Edd was okay, hoping that he wouldn't look so indescribably tired as he was the other day. He made his way to Edd's locker to talk to him only to notice that the dork wasn't there.

"Hey, Kev, you're here early." Kevin turned around to see Nat walking over to him.

"So are you." Kevin remarked, trying to avoid being asked what he was doing there so early and why he was standing in front of Edd's locker.

"I had to get help for physics class, man, that class is impossible." He pushed some of his teal hair out of his face then crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you here so early?" Kevin shrugged his shoulders and he shifted, a bit uncomfortable with the conversation.

"I had to get out of the house, you know, my dad and all, and I decided I might as well just come to school and chill until class started." Nat obviously didn't believe him, but he didn't argue.

"He was bugging you again?" Kevin nodded his head and removed his baseball cap to run his hands through his ginger hair.

"Yeah, came home drunk out of his mind, had to put him to bed early, and he was all pissed when he woke him with a hangover." Nat nodded and placed his hand on Kevin's shoulder.

"I'm sorry man. But, may I ask… Why are you standing in front of Edd's locker?" Kevin turned, pretending not to understand what he was saying.

"I was standing in front of his locker? Huh, I didn't realize it. I was just walking and you started talking to me, strange coincidence." Nat shrugged his shoulders and leaned against a row of lockers. "Don't you have to go talk to your teacher?" Nat shrugged.

"I have time." The whole talking to his teacher thing was a lie anyway, he came early to make sure that Edd didn't come to school, glad to see that he didn't. "By the way, don't expect Double Delicious to be at school today." Kevin groaned and leaned against a locker.

"What did you do to him?" Nat gasped and placed his hand over his chest in shock and mock hurt.

"Why, I didn't do anything!" Kevin rolled his eyes.

"I saw you walk to his house yesterday and talk to him before you came to my house." Nat rose his eyebrow at him and a smirk begun to grow across his face.

"Oh, and why were you watching Edd's house?" Kevin's freckled cheeks turned pink but he quickly shook his embarrassment away.

"I wasn't watching his house. It's hard to not notice your flamboyant hair and when I looked out the window to see what you were doing, I saw you go to the dork's house and go in to talk to him. So obviously you said something to him. So spill." Nat shook his head, his smirk disappearing and suddenly growing serious.

"Nothing you need to worry about. And I didn't say anything bad. Trust me, him not being here is a good thing." Kevin went to question him when a large hand suddenly clasped on his shoulder.

"Hey, Kevin! Long time no see!" Kevin turned around to see a familiar face. It was Andrew Lans, the captain of the football team-well, he was until he got expelled for some unknown reason in Kevin's sophomore year.

"Hey, dude, it's been a while. What brings you back?" Andrew shrugged his broad shoulders, the grin across his face staying in place.

"They let me come back to finish my senior year. Pretty cool, huh?" Kevin nodded his head and looked up at him, Andrew being at least a few inches taller than him, and much bigger. Andrew was pure muscle with an intimidating square face and brown eyes that would be considered soft on anyone else but were sharp and warning on him.

"Yeah, that's awesome. Is coach letting you back on the team?" The bigger man sighed and pushed his dirty blond hair out of his face.

"No, he can't let me back on since I was expelled, they only let me back in because I couldn't go to a different high school to finish my last year because I couldn't move to go somewhere else and I need to finish my last year to go to any sort of college." Kevin nodded his head in understanding.

"Ah, I see, man." Andrew nodded his head and slapped Kevin's shoulder.

"Anyway, I'll talk to you later man." He looked at Nat, who was standing silently the whole time they talked. "See ya greenie." He said before leaving. Kevin turned to Nat, suddenly realizing how quiet he was. Nat was never quiet.

"You okay man?" Nat looked at him and nodded quickly.

"Yeah, fine… Look, I gotta go to class, I'll see you later." Without waiting for Kevin to answer, Nat left to go to his first class of the day.

Nat practically flew to Edd's door the next day, holding a file of all of his homework-which Edd asked him to collect- and he knocked on the door. Edd was quick to answer.

"Greetings Nathan, thank you for collecting my homework… Was he there?" Nat nodded and leaned against the doorframe.

"Yeah, and he was looking for you." Edd groaned and he pulled his beanie over his eyes.

"After all this time.. .I tried to bury what happened and keep rumors just rumors…." Nat reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Edd… You can come back to school whenever you want, but I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to you again, I promise." Edd slowly pulled his beanie up to look up at him.

"You're not just going to tell the school everything that I told you yesterday?" He asked cautiously. Nat shook his head.

"I would never. Edd, this is your secret, this happened to you, not me. I have no right to tell anyone what happened to you, and Eddy had no right to say all that stuff about you. Besides, if that kind of thing happened to me, I would want to hide and pretend it never happened too. I don't blame you, Edd, and since I'm one of the only people in the school who knows what you went through, I'll be there to help you and make sure you're safe when you come back to school." Edd looked down, tears filling his blue eyes. Nat bit his lip, he wasn't the best when it came to people being upset. He was good at flirting, not being super sentimental like this. He turned around to look behind him and he noticed something that made time momentarily freeze. Andrew Lans was was walking down the streets of the cul-de-sac, obviously looking for something. Looking for someone. Looking for Edd. Nat cursed. He could push Edd inside and slam the door before he noticed him, but that would draw too much attention and he would assume that's where Edd was. From what Edd told him, he didn't know where he lived, and he would be screwed if he knew. He had to shield Edd until he walked away. He had an idea, it was a bad idea, but it was the best he had. It may start new rumors, but he could easily disprove them or shake them off.

"Nathan?" Edd asked, confused as the teal haired boy stood in front of him, lost in his mind. Nat turned to him and without warning, he cupped Edd's face in his hands and crushed their lips together. Edd gasped loudly in shock and tried to push him away, but Nat's grip on him was too hard. It was what he had to do, he would explain to him later. Breath was becoming scarce and the kiss had gone on for a good minute. He looked over to check to see if Andrew was gone and, thankfully, he was. He released Edd's face and pulled back, leaving the boy completely red in the face and panting.

"What was that?!" Edd cried between well needed gulps of air. Nat ran his hand through his hair, panting softly.

"Sorry man, I saw Andrew walking around and looking for you."

"And why couldn't you just tell me and I could go inside?!" Edd took a step back from Nat, feeling violated.

"You're a smart guy, Edd, you know that movement would only draw attention to you and he would realize it was you. Just two people making out wouldn't draw as much attention. And especially that the only person that he would be able to see was me, you would be the last person I would make out with- no offense dude."

"So you just did it to help me? You aren't just using him as an excuse?" Nat shook his head.

"No way dude. I told you, I will help keep you safe no matter what, and if that meant making out with you, then so be it." He shifted and placed his hands in his pockets. "Anyway, I promised to meet up with Nazz and Kevin, so I better go." Edd nodded his head and he held the folder with his homework in it close to his chest.

"Thank you for bringing me the assignments I missed."

"No problem." Nat said then smirked. "And by the way, you're not a bad kisser." He winked before jumping from his porch and leaving down his driveway. He was almost at Nazz's house when he was suddenly knocked to the ground. He gasped, having the air knocked out of him.

"Get off me!" He gasped then turned to see Kevin, his face as red as his hair with smoke practically flying from his ears.

"What the hell was that!" Kevin screamed, Nat quickly pulling his head away as Kevin tried to punch him in the face.

"What are you talking about?" He groaned, trying to squirm out from under him. "You weigh like a ton, get off of me!"

"Why did you kiss Edd?" Nat froze and he turned to look up at him.

"Dude, for one, it's not what it looked like. Two, how do you know about that? And three, why do you care?" His questions didn't throw off Kevin a bit, as he hoped it would as it did earlier. It only made him angrier.

"It wasn't what it looked like?! No, you're right. I misspoke. You didn't kiss him, you MADE OUT with him!" Nat finally managed to squirm out of his grasp and stand up, smoothing out his shirt and fixing his collar.

"I was just doing the kid a favor." Kevin stood and his fist collided with Nat's cheek, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"A favor?!" Nat held his cheek and glared, now angry.

"Yes, a favor. Trust me, I was helping him! What, do you wish you were the one to kiss his big, plump pink lips." He said sensually. He stumbled back as Kevin punched him right in the nose, his nose immediately reacting by pouring out crimson liquid.

"Hey!" Nazz yelled and ran down her driveway toward the two boys. "What the hell is going on?" Kevin ignored her and glared at Nat.

"Don't talk to me again." Kevin said to him and stormed off, leaving Nat bleeding and Nazz shocked and confused.

"What was that about?" Nazz asked him, bringing him to her house to clean up his nose.

"I kissed Edd." Her eyes widened and she stopped to look at him.

"Umm… Why?" She asked. Nat flirted with everyone, true, but Edd wasn't the kind of guy he would actually go for.

"I was doing him a favor." She rose her eyebrow then grabbed a damp towel.

"One hell of a favor." He rolled his eyes.

"It's about that rumor that went around."

"But I told everyone it was just a rumor, everyone is going easy on him now." Nat shook his head.

"Not everyone. The whole reason that rumor was created is back at school. And it wasn't exactly a rumor." Her eyes widened in shock.

"So he actually-"

"No." He cut her off. "No. Some of it was true, yes, but Eddy changed it around completely."

"So… What actually happened?" Nat shook his head.

"Not my place to tell, it's too personal." She nodded and dabbed the blood off his skin, silent for a moment before she decided to speak up.

"So why was Kevin so mad that you kissed him?" Nat sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I think our Kev is falling, he just doesn't realize it yet."


	7. Chapter 7

To Kevin's surprise and displeasure, Edd was at school the next day, but he was practically attached to Nat's hip, following around everywhere. They didn't talk that much, they just walked beside each other. Nat was actually on time in all of his classes, making sure he could leave just in time to pick up Edd from his class and walking him to his next. Like Kevin had promised, he avoided Nat as much as he possibly could. At lunch he sat beside Nazz, sitting away from Nat. Edd watched him, thinking that he was trying to avoid him. He excused himself before standing to go to the bathroom-no, the actual bathroom, not the abandoned one he uses to be alone. Upon walking in, he noticed a big, strong figure washing his hands. He was about to make a speedy escape, but he was caught.

"Hey dorky." He winced and looked up at Andrew Lans. "I didn't see you at school yesterday, I was starting to worry." Edd swallowed nervously and he stepped in, knowing at this point, he couldn't run away.

"Were you?" He nodded and stepped closer to him, water dripping from his fingertips and landing on the ground.

"I was. I didn't think we would be able to talk." Edd flinched as his hand reached up to touch his arm, the cold water sending shivers down his spine.

"T-talk? What do you wish to talk about?" A smirk came over his chapped lips.

"I think you know exactly what I want to talk about. What happened almost three years ago. I can tell it still has an effect on you, after what what's-his-name blabbed. Can't say you didn't deserve it." Edd wanted to speak up for himself, but the bigger boy's grasp on his arm made him keep his mouth shut.

"A-are you going to tell everyone what happened?" Andrew released Edd's arm and he placed his soaked hand on his waist, immediately wetting it and causing Edd to flinch away.

"Oh, I was planning on it, yes. What, do you not want everyone to know what happened?" Now Edd found a little bit of strength and he pulled away.

"No, and you won't tell anyone." His confidence was short lived and he shrunk against the bathroom door.

"And what are you going to do to stop me, dork?" Edd stayed silent. There was absolutely nothing that he could do that would keep him quiet. "Okay, here's the deal. I won't tell anyone about what happened those years back." Edd slowly looked up at him, his eyes gleaming slightly with hope.

"You won't?" Andrew shook his head, but his fearsome smirk remained plastered on his lips.

"No, I won't. But it will cost you." Edd's eyes widened and all the color drained from his face.

"No!" He cried, knowing exactly where he was going. "Not again! It ruined me the first time, why would I agree to that?!" Andrew crossed his broad arms over his chest.

"Then I guess I'll just have to tell everyone in the school what happened, and what _really_ happened, not that lame rumor shorty tried to spread. The whole truth. And no one will stand by your side, just like last time. You'll be alone." He tried to grab him again, but Edd was quick and he escaped the bathroom and practically ran back to Nat. He knew his eyes were still wide with terror, but Nat didn't question it. He knew questioning it would make Kevin and Nazz question it, and he had a feeling he knew anyway. He just rubbed Edd's arm and he went back to his lunch. Edd knew that Andrew wouldn't tell anyone about what happened. not yet at least. He knew that he was weak, he knew that he would come crawling to him, begging him and giving him anything so he wouldn't tell the school. He would keep it from Nat and no one would know. It was just what Andrew wanted, and though he hated it, it was exactly what would happen.

The dork looked so upset… What was going on? He looked fine until he left to go to the bathroom, then he was all upset when he came back. Maybe he should talk to him, but he would have to find him before Nat did. He spent the entire rest of the day trying to figure out a time when he could steal the dork away from the freak. He ended up sneaking out of class early and making his way to Edd's class. Edd was surprisingly one of the last students to walk out of the classroom. He quickly grabbed his arm and rushed himself and the smaller boy into the bathroom that Edd would use to get away from people.

"Kevin, what is wrong? I am supposed to meet Nathan, he was going to walk me home." Kevin leaned against the bathroom door and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why are you spending so much time with Nat?" He didn't want Edd to know he saw the kiss, that would make it look like he was stalking him. Which he wasn't! He obviously wasn't.

"Why have you been avoiding Nathan all day?" Kevin didn't respond for a moment, he didn't expect him to send a question back at him.

"We're in a fight, that's all. I told you, now you tell me. Why have you been hanging around him so much?" Edd shifted on his feet, crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

'He was just helping me out today, it is nothing really. Can you release me now? I really must be getting home." Edd tried to get around Kevin, but Kevin stopped him.

"Why did you look so upset at lunch today?" Edd went a little pale and he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

"Why do you care why I was or wasn't upset-I'm not saying that I was-?" Kevin just narrowed his eyes. Normally, a blush would have painted his freckled cheeks, but he knew that Edd was just trying to distract him from the question at hand.

"Spill." Edd's knees shook slightly, his mind working at full speed, trying to find a way to escape, but to no avail.

"This is not something I am comfortable speaking about, Kevin..."

"Oh, but you are comfortable telling Nat all about it?"

"What is wrong with you, Kevin? Why are you so upset that I'm developing a friendship with Nathan?"

"Because I know Nat and he's going to just try to get in your pants or something." Edd's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his scrawny chest.

"I assure you, Kevin, Nat has no intentions of trying to, as you say, 'get in my pants'. He is only trying to help."

"And I'm not?!" Edd took a step back at his sudden rage.

"I never implied that you were not trying to help, Kevin, though your rage and distrust toward Nathan is not helping much." Kevin glared, his face growing red with anger. Edd pushed Kevin aside and exited the bathroom, only to be face to face with Andrew.

"Hey dork." He looked up as Kevin came out of the bathroom, still red in the face and fuming. "And Kevin. I'm a bit surprised to see you two walking out together." Kevin scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's up, Andrew?" He looked down at Edd and softened slightly when he noticed how the smaller boy was slightly shaking under the gaze of Andrew.

"Nothing, just getting ready to go home, thought I would head to the bathroom before I left." His eyes traveled to Edd and Edd turned his head away, avoiding his eyes.

"Well this bathroom is closed." Kevin answered, drawing Andrew's attention away.

"Oh really, it wasn't when I was in school. Why did it close off?" Kevin shrugged.

"We don't really know, they just closed it." Edd shrunk backwards, stumbling as his back pressed against Kevin's chest. Luckily, Andrew didn't notice-or he didn't show that he noticed.

"Anyway, I'll see you later, Kev, later nerd." Andrew said before leaving, sending one of his signature chapped smirk to Edd. Kevin looked down at the boy who was cowering against his chest.

"You alright dude?" Kevin asked, looking down at him. Edd slowly nodded and moved away from him.

"Um… Kevin, would you mind...um...walking me home?" Kevin nodded his head and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I have to walk that way anyway, why not?" Edd nodded and the two walked home together. Most of their walk was silent, Edd staring at his feet. Kevin kept an eye on him, watching his expression, trying to make sense of what had just happened outside of that abandoned bathroom. Soon, they arrived at his front door and Edd turned to look at Kevin.

"Thank you for walking me home, Kevin. I appreciate it."

"No problem dude. And if you want, I could come walk you to school in the morning. Like, if you want me too." Edd smiled slightly and fumbled with his house keys.

"I would like that very much, thank you." Kevin nodded and he lightly slapped his shoulder. The exchange was awkward and they both stood there, blushing slightly. Kevin finally cut through the silence by clearing his throat.

"Well, I'll see you around." He said before turning and walking down the driveway to go to his own home. He looked over his shoulder to see that Edd had already gone inside, all of his shutters closed. He would find out what was going on, even if it killed him.


	8. Chapter 8

**I apologize for not updating in a long time. I've been busy with school, clubs, now trying to get a job, and I've all around lost inspiration for writing this story. So I'll try to update whenever I can, just bear with me.**

Kevin arrived at Edd's door early the next morning, knowing the dork typically liked to arrive early and he didn't want to keep him waiting. But to his surprise, Edd took about five minutes after he rang the doorbell to come down and open the door.

"Salutations Kevin. I apologize for taking so long." Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

"it's alright dude. You okay?" Edd nodded and shut his door, locking it.

"Yes, I am fine. Let's just go to school before we're late." With that, he nodded and the two began their walk to the high school. Kevin couldn't help but notice that Edd was looking over his shoulder every few minutes. He looked nervous, like he was afraid of something; afraid of someone. he was going to ask, but he noticed Edd's expression change. He went from looking nervous to looking scared. Because there was someone watching as they left his house. Andrew was watching. Sure, the guy was big and may seem sort of intimidating to the scrawny boy, but he didn't really have a reason to be scared of him. Kevin stayed up almost all night trying to understand why Edd looked so terrified of him, but he just couldn't figure it out. Something must have happened between them, but what? Maybe it had to do with that rumor that went around school, maybe Nat knew why he was so scared of him. Either way, Edd looked uneasy with the fact that he watched them leave his house. Why that scared him, he didn't really know. But he would find out.

With one shove, Kevin pushed Nat into the old abandoned bathroom. Nat looked up at him and he gave a knowing smirk.

"I thought you were avoiding me." Kevin glared, obviously still upset over what had happened between him and Edd.

"What's going on with the dork?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why is he so afraid of Andrew and why did you look all awkward when he was talking to me?" Nat shifted, his confidence fading, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I told you, Kevin, it's not my place to tell, it's Edd's." Kevin shook his head and pushed him up against the wall, seething.

"I'm sick of playing these stupid games with you. If it went around the whole school, you can tell me what the hell happened. So tell me." Nat shook his head.

"i'm sorry Kevin, but I can't."

"But Nazz knows." Kevin pointed out, causing Nat to shake his head again.

"No, not completely at least. She knows the rumor, but not what actually happened. If you really want to know the rumor so bad, just go to Eddy, he's the one who made it up in the first place. But I guarantee, whatever he tells you isn't true. It's a lot more complex than he made it seem." Kevin released him and he stormed off. He would just have to find the shrimp and ask him himself

Kevin clenched his fists as hit his fist against Eddy's wooden door. He hated going to the dork for help about anything. The kid turned into even a bigger jerk than he was before. But he desperately wanted to know what was going on with Edd, and it was probably better to go to the shrimp than lumpy. Eddy threw open the door.

"What do you want, Shovelhead?" The dork had barely gotten taller and he was still a good head or two shorter than Kevin. His appearance was sloppy and his black hair was long and covering his eyes.

"I need a favor, dorko." Eddy crossed his arms over his chest, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

"Depending what it is, it's gonna cost ya." Kevin glared through the strands of red hair covering his eyes.

"What, do you need more money to give to that drug dealer you owe money to?" Eddy glared at him and huffed slightly.

"What do you need?" Kevin pushed Eddy into house and he followed him, shutting the door behind him.

"What is the rumor that you told about Edd that ruined his reputation?" The smirk came back quickly.

"You've been hanging out with the sockhead a lot recently, what's going on between you two anyway?" Kevin snorted.

"Nothing is going on between us. He's hanging out with Nat more than anything." He quickly covered up. Eddy laughed.

"Would make sense, they're probably dating." Kevin rose his eyebrow.

"And what makes you think that they're dating?" The smirk grew more on Eddy's face, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"The kid's gay." Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Nat likes to flirt with everyone-"

"Not Nat, Edd." Kevin shut up immediately and stared at him.

"So that's the rumor?" Eddy shook his head.

"No, not really. I spread that too, but it was true. He told me himself in our sophomore year. He's mega into men." Eddy leaned against the wall. "And if I remember right, he was totally head over heels in love with you." The lie wasn't even convincing. But Eddy hadn't talked to Edd in years, what if Edd did actually like him?

"Whatever. What was the rumor already? Does it have something to do with Andrew Lans?"

"It has everything to do with Andrew Lans. And I'm not too happy about Nazz telling everyone at school that my rumor was fake."

"It was fake." Kevin snapped.

"To an extent. Besides, now that Andrew is back, he can just prove to everyone that it was true. If he's smart, he'll continue the lie I created. I made up the rumor so that Andrew would stay in school, he paid me to. But he still got suspended. Now, if he knows what's good for him, he'll just spread the rumor again." Kevin glared and pushed the smaller boy up against the wall.

"Tell me now, what was the damn rumor?" Eddy smirked, his breath was rancid.

"It's gonna cost ya."

"How much do you need, shrimp?"

"You're not gonna like it." He pushed him further.

"How much?"

"$1,000. What can I say, I owe a bit of money. Either you make up the cash, or I won't tell you anything." Kevin cursed and pushed him back before walking toward the door, removing his hat and running his hand through his red locks.

"Where can I figure out that damn rumor?" Kevin mumbled to himself.

"Try Lumpy. He knows what happened and he's not as stupid now. He'll probably tell you what happened, he doesn't care about Edd either. But if he doesn't tell you anything, you can always come back to me." Kevin glared at him and he opened the door. "And remember Kevin," Kevin turned around to see the signature smirk. "The sockhead isn't as innocent as you thing."


	9. Chapter 9

**Bit of a warning, there is some inappropriate suggestions in this chapter (and maybe in some after) so read at your own risk. (There is no details in case you're worried about that.) Sorry it's a short chapter, but there will be more to come. Enjoy!**

Kevin looked around Ed's house. It was surprisingly clean, but then again, Ed had begun a lot cleaner when he entered high school. That probably had to do with Edd and his tendency to clean everything in sight.

"What are you doing here, Kevin?" Ed asked as he sat down in a chair across from him at the kitchen table. He had also gotten a lot smarter than he used to be, but Lumpy was still a bit slow.

"I need some information and you're my last resort."

"What kind of information, Kevin? Is it information about the aliens coming from space to probe us all?" Kevin rolled his eyes. Some things never change.

"I need to know about Edd." Ed shifted slightly, uncomfortable about the subject.

"I don't know too much about him now, I don't really talk to him anymore…"

"I know that, but what I need to know, I know that you know. It happened sophomore year." Ed immediately stood up, nearly knocking the chair backwards.

"No, no I don't talk about that. I won't talk about that." Kevin stood up and held out his hands.

"Come on, Ed, I just need a little information about what that rumor was about, and Eddy said that you could tell me." Ed shook his head and he immediately began pushing Kevin to the door.

"I won't talk about that, it's bad." Kevin forced his foot between a loaded bookcase so Ed could no longer push him. He crossed his arms over his chest and pushed himself against the wall, proving his point that he wouldn't leave until he got the information that he wanted.

"Come on Lumpy. The rumor that Eddy told you is a lie, so just tell me what you heard. Whatever it is isn't true, so that should make it easier for you to say." Ed shook his head desperately.

"No, it's not a lie. It's true! I can't tell you!"

"Who told you it's true? Eddy?" Ed was silent for a moment. Kevin smirked slightly, he was working him down. "I need to know what the rumor is." Ed covered his ears to avoid listening to Kevin's demanding.

"I can't say." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and glared slightly. Suddenly, Ed looked up at him.

"Are you and Double D dating?" Kevin rose his eyebrow and forced out a laugh.

"No." Ed studied him. This kid was much more observant than he used to be.

"I saw you two together a lot recently, and I think Double D likes you." Kevin scoffed.

"Yeah right, you're delusional man."

"He trusts you, like he used to trust us. Doesn't that mean love?" Kevin groaned and pulled off his hat to run his hand through his red did he begin using his brain?

"I don't know dude…" He sighed.

"And I think that you like him too."

"And what makes you think that, Lumpy?"

"Well, when he's late to lunch, you're always looking around for him. And you always look mad when Nat his around him or acting flirty. I think that it makes you jealous. And you look defensive when Andrew comes along… Though you have a reason for that…" That's it, he was breaking him down. Maybe he should roll with it…

"And why should I be jealous if Andrew comes around?" He rose his eyebrow up at him.

"Because of Edd's and Andrew's relationship." Kevin pulled his foot out from the bookcase and he walked closer to him.

"Define relationship." Ed started backing up again, realizing that he said too much. Kevin grabbed onto his arm. He was this close, he wasn't going to stay in the dark any longer.

"They were together, Eddy told me. I guess they were together secretly because Double D never told us about it, and he told us everything. Like everything, he told us he was into guys pretty quickly. I didn't care, but I think Eddy didn't like it too much… And he hung around us all the time, so I don't really know when he would go out with Andrew. But Andrew did talk to him sometimes at school, but Edd always looked nervous. Maybe that was because he liked him? But he never told us… I noticed that he started acting weird, but Eddy told me not to worry about it and that he was fine. But then apparently Edd came to Eddy one day and he told him that he and Andrew…" Ed stopped talking for a while, he looked like the words he was about to speak were poison on his tongue. "They did the dirty stuff that Eddy always talked about doing with girls. Eddy was enraged and he told me that I couldn't be around Edd anymore, and that he was dirty and bad. I didn't understand, I don't understand. I can't imagine Edd doing something like that… Something so bad… But then Eddy told the whole school about it, and everyone seemed to think that Eddy was right in saying that they should stay away from him and that Edd did something bad. All my friends would yell at me every time I tried talking to him, even though he looked so sad… Then Andrew left school, I tried to ask Eddy why, but he never answered me. He seemed pretty upset about it…" Kevin stared at him, shocked. That couldn't be true… Nat said that Eddy lied about what happened, but that story seems...he didn't really know. He didn't know whether to believe it or not, and he could tell why the whole school believed what Eddy had said.

"Don't tell Double D I told you, okay? If you didn't know, he probably didn't want you to know." Kevin nodded numbly and without saying anything else, he pushed past him and out of his house.

Kevin made his way to Edd's house. He needed to know exactly what happened, or if what Ed told him was true. Lumpy did leave a few things empty. Maybe Edd did come and talk to him, and he was going based off of not only what Eddy said, but what Edd admitted to. Would he actually do that? Would he? With Andrew? He walked around to the cul-de-sac to see Edd's door open and he was standing at the door frame, someone else towering over him. Someone bigger, and he could see Edd shaking. Andrew was leaning against the door frame with a smirk on his face. He seemed to be eating up Edd's obvious fear. Kevin stared and took a step back. Maybe he could talk to Edd about it later… Or maybe not at all. If he knew the rumor, maybe know he could know the truth. He turned before he was caught and he ran out of the neighborhood, holding his hat onto his head as he ran. His mind raced and all he could think of were Ed's words-all of Ed's words- as he ran to Nat's house.


	10. Chapter 10

**Bit of a warning, there is some inappropriate suggestions in this chapter (and maybe in some after) so read at your own risk. (There is no details in case you're worried about that.) And this is the chapter when you finally get some answers! Enjoy!**

"I need to know what really happened." Kevin paced around Nat's bedroom, carefully avoiding dirty clothes and clutter across the floor. Nat was sitting on his bed, watching Kevin as he paced.

"I think you should go talk to Edd…"

"No Nat!" Kevin snapped. "You know the kid isn't going to tell me anything. I know the damn rumor, why can't you tell me what actually happened?"

"Because it's personal to Edd and I don't want to step on his toes by telling you something he wouldn't want me to say." Kevin through his arms in the air.

"Like he would want me to believe what Lumpy told me! Come on, Nat, just tell me!" Nat sighed and he took out his phone and began texting. Kevin groaned and glared. "And what is so important that you had to text them at this exact moment?" Nat continued texting and continued looking at his phone.

"I'm texting Edd." Kevin was at his side immediately, looking over his shoulder to see what he was texting. "Chill dude, I'm not saying it's you who's asking. But I'm telling him that someone knows the rumor and doesn't believe it and wants to know the truth and I'm asking if I can tell them." Nat tossed his phone on the bed after texting and he pulled on Kevin's arm, forcing him down next to him. "While we wait, I have a few questions for you as well." Kevin groaned and leaned back against the wall.  
"What is it?" Nat smirked and crossed his legs, looking like a child excited about story time.

"What's up with you and Double Delectable? Like, why do you want to know what happened so bad? And if you just tell me that you want to know and there's no real reason, I'm not buying it." Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and he groaned.

"I don't know man, why does it matter?" Nat smirked.

"Because I think my little Kevin is in looove." Kevin punched his arm.

"No way dude, you're out of your mind."

"Oh, am I?" Nat jumped from his position and nearly straddled Kevin, pushing him back. "No one is that interested in another person's personal life. And you got pissed when you saw me kiss him and you look jealous whenever he's around me or around Andrew Lans. I think that you like him Kevin, whether you realize it or not, or whether you want to admit it or not, but I think that you do." Kevin huffed and pushed Nat off of his lap before closing his eyes.

"I just… I don't know man…" Nat's eyes lit up.

"So you do like him!" He exclaimed, standing up and jumping on his bed. "Kevin and Edd sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Kevin pushed his knee, annoyed.

"Shut up, dude." Nat smirked and bounced onto the bed, sitting back down next to Kevin.

"I knew you liked him, I totally knew it!" He gasped, as if just getting an idea. "Tell him!" Kevin held out his hands in defense, telling him to calm down.

"No way, not going to happen." Nat frowned sadly.

"Why not? I bet the kid likes you, so why don't you tell him?"

"Because my dad would kill me if he ever found out about me liking a guy. Besides, it would kill my reputation at school."

"What do you care about more: your reputation or living your own damn life? Come on, live a little. You only have one life and it's no fun spending it in the closet. It's much more fun out here." He held out his arms and grinned. "Besides, you better come out of there. You're so far back in that closet that you're going to get lost and end up in Narnia one of these days. Ask him out!" Kevin groaned and he leaned back, pulling off his hat and running his hand through his hair.

"I highly doubt that I will ever do that, Nat. I'll just let people believe that I have a thing for Nazz and I don't have to worry about the whole coming out thing."

"Believe me, it's not that bad coming out. The closet is dark and you can finally see the sun. And judging by your white skin, you can use some sun."

"Shut up!" Kevin slapped his arm, but couldn't resist a laugh. Nat laughed too, but their laughing was cut short when Nat's phone beeped. Nat grabbed it and read the text. His face went serious and he looked at Kevin.

"Are you sure you want to know the truth?" Kevin pushed himself off of the wall and he nodded his head.

"Definitely."

The two boys had went to the kitchen to get two cans of soda before retiring back to Nat's room and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Kevin opened his soda and he leaned forward.

"So, tell me what you know." Nat sighed and he set his can on the ground next to him.

"Well, like I said before, there was a bit of truth to Eddy's rumor. But not much. Eddy took what Edd had said and he twisted his story so that it benefited him and Andrew. You see, from what Edd said, Eddy and Andrew had begun talking a lot. About what, he didn't really know, but they begun to be all buddy-buddy with each other, so that was probably the reason that the rumor started in the first place. Now, I'm going to spare you the major details, and if you really want to know, you'll have to talk to Edd about it. He's surprisingly good at giving a very detailed summary of what happened, and I don't want to mess up one of the details. But one day, Andrew came to him in study hall and begged him for help in science. Edd, of course, was more than happy to help him out and they planned to meet in the library after school. They met and they studied, but Andrew still didn't understand, so he suggested that they head to his house after the library closed. Not seeing anything wrong with it, Edd agreed and Andrew drove them to his house. That was when Andrew's intentions changed. He locked the door when they came in, his house was empty and his parents weren't home. He led him up to his room and he threw Edd's backpack to the ground. Like I said, I'm going to spare you the details, and that would probably be best and I hope that you don't run to Edd and ask him for details, but…"

"He raped him?" Kevin cut him off before he could finish speaking, and Kevin really wished that Nat would shake his head and say 'what? No, that's insane! That isn't at all what I was going to say!' But instead, Nat looked down at his lap and he nodded his head.

"Yeah, he did…" Kevin stood up, accidentally knocking his soda all over Nat's white carpet, but he didn't care.

"No, if this is a joke, this is really sick, Nat. Really, really sick." Nat ran his hand through his teal hair, his yellow eyes looked sad.

"I'm sorry, Kevin, but it's true…. Edd Eddy about it a few days later, hoping that Eddy would be sympathetic and would help him through it, but he flipped out and started talking to him like he was the one who did wrong and like he was filth. Then the next day, the rumor had traveled around school that they slept together, and everyone was suddenly against Edd for whatever reason. Some were against Andrew, but not many, since he was popular and all. But Edd was a nerd, so it was just another reason to pick on him and make his life miserable, I suppose. The rumor was meant to hide what Andrew did, but Edd told a teacher and Andrew ended up getting expelled. That's when Eddy decided to do everything that he could to make sure that the rest of Edd's high school experience was a living hell. And now that Andrew is back, Eddy is going to make sure that everyone believes that lie."

"Why would he be back? They know what he did to Edd, so why would they allow him back in the school?" Nat shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe they started believing Eddy over Edd, or the new principal didn't know about what happened and Andrew took the advantage to sneak back in. Either way, he's back and we have to keep Edd safe from him." Suddenly, the color drained from Kevin's face.

"Oh god." He mumbled and started to bolt for the door. Nat quickly followed him.

"Kevin, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Andrew was at Edd's house when I came over here. Edd may be in danger."


	11. Chapter 11

**Like said earlier, the story is getting a bit more dirty. It's not that bad, but I feel like I rated the story as T, not knowing I was going to go this way with it. Just a warning. Now, enjoy!**

Edd sat at his desk in his perfectly neat bedroom, mindlessly turning pages of his textbook. He knew he should have been studying for his history test, but his mind was anywhere else and everywhere else. He thought about school, Nat, Andrew, Kevin… But mostly Kevin. For some reason that he had pondered for days, weeks, why Kevin? Well, he had ideas. Kevin was strong and muscular, and admittedly attractive. Admittedly _very_ attractive. Whether from his fiery red hair or his forest green eyes, or the way he got protective over Edd for reasons that the sockheaded boy couldn't understand. Why would Kevin be interested in him? That was the thing, he probably wasn't. He probably felt bad for him, just like everyone else. He could tell that everyone at school felt bad for him. Now that Nazz told everyone that the rumor was a lie, they all had the same look in their eyes; the look that said "I'm going to hang out with you because I feel bad that I treated you like shit for years based on something that didn't happen". He had the look, Nat had the look, even Nazz. They all felt bad for him, that's why he was allowed near them. Once all of the madness was over, the trio would be back to whatever they did before and Edd would be alone with a school full of teenagers who pitied him. Edd sighed and he shut his textbook before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. Maybe if he distracted himself, he could stop thinking about Kevin and then he would forget about him completely. Maybe he could forget this, dare he say, crush that he had developed upon the larger boy. He took a deep breath, trying to force his mind to think about anything else. But, to his despair, the redhead was replaced by a more terrifying image: Andrew Lans. Even in his mind, he was so intimidating that he made the boy shake with fear. What he would give to go back in time and to fix his mistake, to be a little smarter, to stop it from happening. What he would give to make the whole thing end and to save himself from the torture he found himself constantly living in.

What would his life had been like if none of it ever happened? He probably wouldn't have been friends with Eddy anymore, nothing would have changed how he had become. But not Ed, he would still be friends with Ed, no doubt about it. He probably would have never started talking to Kevin, Nazz, or Nat, but would that have been such a great loss? He wished that he could say no, but it would have been. He liked hanging around them, so maybe that was the upside of what happened- if there was one… But either way, he'll have to let them go. None of them would want to be around him when everything settled down, or if they find out what actually happened. No, no one would treat him like he was filth. No, not like they did before. This would be different, this would be worse. Because everyone would just assume he wanted it. That's what people assume in these situations, don't they? If you really didn't want it to happen, you would have been able to stop it. He shivered and pulled his hoodie closer to his shaking body. After all this time, he was obsessing over him again, he was stuck living in constant fear all over again. At least this time, he knew how it would end. But he still didn't know how to stop it.

He was sucked out of his mind by his doorbell ringing. It would be either Nat or Kevin, seeing as both of them liked to stop by without giving warning before showing up. Or Nazz, he wouldn't put it past her, but probably one of the two boys. Or both. He pushed himself away from his desk and down his stairs, his legs still shaking from his thoughts; he almost tripped over them several times. But he finally made it to the door and opened up, expecting either the red or teal-haired boys, only find himself trying to slam the door shut again. But fat fingers grabbed onto the door and held it open. The door opened again, revealing that smirk that dug deep into Edd's mind and terrified him to the core.

"Hey nerd." Edd swallowed thickly and tried to straighten his back, trying to look taller and less cowardly.

"What is it that you want, Andrew?" Edd yelped as Andrew pushed him back against the half swung open door, one hand holding it in place and the other next to Edd's head, keeping him trapped between the door and the much larger boy.

"I came to see you, of course. We've barely gotten to talk, just you and me. That teal-haired weirdo or that redhead nerd is in the way." Edd looked past Andrew's head and around the neighborhood, looking for someone that could come to his rescue. He was hoping to find Kevin walking along the road; Kevin with his tight green shirt, showing his muscles, cutting through the grass and punching Andrew square in the face and chasing him off. Then he would scoop him up in his arms and he would kiss him like he had never been kissed before. But the street was empty. There was no Kevin to run and save him. He was stuck.

"I don't know what we would have to talk about, Andrew." He lied, trying to shrink away enough that he could get past his arm and run into the safety of his home. But Andrew just moved his arm, locking him in further.

"I'm sure you know exactly what we have to talk about. Either I tell the school what happened those years back, or I won't, but you will cost you." Edd whimpered and he squirmed against him. Andrew was close, too close for his liking. He could smell the thick, cheap cologne from his varsity jacket and the cigarette smoke heavy on his breath. The mixing scents made him nauseous.

"I'm afraid that I have nothing that I could give to you, Andrew." The smirk only grew wider and Edd felt his knees giving out. Andrew's hand moved to grip his arm, keeping him on his feet.

"Yes, there is something you could give me." His fingers trailed down Edd's arm, and he could taste his lunch coming up in his throat.

"Get your hand off me!" He pushed his hand back, only to have Andrew capture his hand in his own.

"You've gotten feisty since I've last seen you. Good, that will make you more fun. You were a bit dull last time, barely struggled at all." Edd tried pulling his hand back, whimpering as he tried to push away from him. His smell was choking him and he was on the verge of tears. One hand came up to cover his mouth and his mouth landed on his neck. He tried to scream, but his fat fingers trapped the sound as he felt teeth pierce the tender skin on his neck. He bit down on his hand, but his plan backfired as Andrew only bit down harder on his neck. Edd weakly pushed until Andrew pulled away, a trail of bitemarks leading from just above his collarbone to just below his jawline. Andrew studied his work with a flicker of pride dancing in his eyes. Edd's eyes were wet and he was struggling to keep his cheeks dry, the large and sweaty hand still covering his mouth. The pride slowly disappeared from his eyes, being replaced by something else. It was a look that Edd saw one other time in his life, it was a look that he would never forget. It was the look he saw when he and Andrew left the library that one day. Edd pushed at his chest, now screaming against his hand.

"Let go of me!" He screamed, but no words were made, only muffles that could have been anything, anything besides a cry for help. His neck throbbed and was wet from saliva, adding to the nausea swimming around his stomach and trying to push up his throat. Andrew was now trying to push Edd inside of the house. What Edd wanted- to escape into his house- was now what he dreaded. If he entered that house, that was it. Game over. He looked down at Andrew's hand and he notices a burn mark on one of his fingers. A simple burn, could have come from touching a hot pan. Whatever did it, he silently thanked; it was his way out. He shifted his head and sunk his teeth straight into the burn. This time, he got the reaction he wanted. Andrew swore loudly and pulled his hand away, giving Edd enough room to run. And he didn't waste any time looking back at Andrew. He darted from his yard, his skinny legs letting him run faster than Andrew's chubbier ones. He didn't care that he left his house door open and allowed Andrew entrance, he wouldn't be returning there anyway. He ran through the cul-de-sac as fast as his legs would carry him and he bolted through the junkyard, stumbling over pieces of garbage and tripping in god knows what (hopefully just mud) until he came across an old van. He pulled open the rusty door and jumped inside, slamming it shut. He didn't care if the place was full of bugs and probably angry rats, none of it could be as bad as what was coming for him. None of it would be as bad as facing his fate.


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow it's been a while! I'm so sorry about the lack of an update, I have been busy and I have had zero inspiration and I'm just really, really sorry. But I hope you enjoy nonetheless!**

Kevin and Nat set off down the street, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Their color-drained cheeks were flushed red by the time they reached the cul-de-sac. There was no longer anyone standing at the door: there was no Edd and no Andrew, the door shut. Kevin felt his heart pounding faster and he ran ahead of Nat to the door. He didn't even stop to catch his breath before pounding his fist against the door and impatiently waiting for a reply. His heart settled slightly as he heard the sound of the door clicking open, but it froze when the opener of the door was not the frail, nerdy boy he expected.

"Kev, what's up? Andrew asked casually, as if he was answering his own door.

"Andrew, what are you doing in Double D's house?" Kevin asked, trying to keep himself calm and reserved, not like he knew exactly what he was doing in Edd's house. Luckily, Andrew didn't seem to notice anything wrong.

"He's helping me study, I'm a little behind." He shrugged, leaning back against the doorframe. Kevin had to resist the urge to punch him square in the face. Instead, he cleared his throat.

"Do you think that maybe I could talk to him for a moment? It really won't take long." Andrew crossed his arms over his chest and he studied Kevin up and down, making him feel weak.

"Well we're kind of busy at the moment. What is it that you want to talk to him about?" Kevin forced himself to stand up taller, putting on a stern look.

"It's about school, dude. You can ask the nerd for help, and so can I. I just need to know what lesson we have a test on tomorrow in history."

"Well just text him, we're busy." Andrew tried to shut the door, but Kevin stuck his foot out to stop it.

"It's just a question, it will take two seconds. Where is he, in the living room?"

"No." The answer came too quick as Kevin tried to peek through.

"Oh, then his room?" Kevin pressed, trying to push himself through. Nat stood back in the driveway, watching in case Kevin needed help but keeping his distance.

"Dude, give it a rest." Andrew pushed him back. "You're not going to study anyway, I know you, so it's not like it's important. See ya in class." Andrew said before managing to push Kevin back and slamming the door in his face. Kevin cursed and he took his hat off so he could card his hand through his red hair. He turned to Nat and stormed down the sidewalk.

"Something's wrong, he's definitely not there." Nat rose his eyebrow.

"How do you know that for sure? Maybe he's in his bedroom and he needs help." Kevin shook his head.

"No, I know the dork. At this time of day, he would normally be studying. If he was studying anywhere, he would either be in the living room, kitchen, or his bedroom. Andrew already said he wasn't in the living room-which I can confirm- and I can tell he's not in the kitchen. And he's not in his bedroom." Nat just stared at him with his eyebrow still high on his forehead.

"And why are you so sure that he's not in the bedroom?" A knowing smirk played across Kevin's lips.

"He was probably studying when Andrew came-it is an important test tomorrow, after all- and I know he was studying in his room, but why would he be studying without his textbook?" Nat stared at him, confused. "His textbook was sitting on the stairs, Nat! And I know it was Edd's, who else keeps their textbook in that good condition? And none of his other stuff was sitting at the coffee table or the kitchen table, so he wouldn't be studying in the living room. So if he really was studying in his room, why was his textbook on the floor?" Nat rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so he was studying in his room. But how do we know that he's not there still? Andrew could have forced him up." The smirk never left Kevin's face.

"Did you not see the bite mark on Andrew's hand? And if Edd was up there, why was Andrew's pupils normal?" Nat snorted.

"You stare at his pupils?" Kevin shushed him before he could make any jokes.

"I've seen the guy when he watches people that are attractive, his pupils dilate like you wouldn't believe. And after what he did to Edd, it seems unlikely that they would be normal sized if Edd was upstairs. Besides, he answered the door pretty fast, there was no way he ran all the way downstairs to answer the door. So if he was still there, Edd didn't run off not to long ago. So, how about we stop standing here talking about all of the things I know and we go find him?" Nat shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever you say, dude, let's go." They walked down the driveway in a fast pace, but not as rushed. Edd couldn't be in immense danger if Andrew was there, but they still needed to find him, and quick. "So, where do you think he would have gone?" Kevin sighed and he sped up his pace a little bit.

"I don't know, man, I don't know." Nat stopped. Kevin went to yell at him, but Nat grabbed onto his arm.

"Running around to random locations is going to take too much time. If you were Edd and you were confronted by someone who caused you misery and you just got away, where would you go that you would feel safe?" Kevin sighed and he closed his eyes, racking his brain and searching for any explanation.

"Not somewhere obvious that Andrew could find him in. And through a crowded place would have been smart, he wouldn't want to be near a lot of people right now. So somewhere private, somewhere that Andrew wouldn't know about. So somewhere only he would think to go…." Kevin's eyes lit up. "Somewhere he and the dorks used to go. I got it! He's at the junkyard!" Nat couldn't resist a snort.

"You kidding? Double D go to a junkyard? He'll probably start freaking out because of all of the dirt and mud and garbage surrounding him." Kevin slapped his arm.

"Edd and the dorks used to make these crazy inventions out of garbage that they got from that junkyard. Crazy, dangerous inventions. They spent most of their time there. Edd was the mastermind behind most of the inventions, so I'd say he probably felt pretty comfortable there. If Edd is anywhere, he's there." Before Nat could say any more, Kevin grabbed his wrist and he was pulling him. Kevin ran fast with determination, dragging Nat behind him. They quickly made it to the junkyard and Kevin ran around. There was an old van that the dorks used to come up with all their stupid plans in. An old van with a backseat that was torn apart, springs leaping from the seats and threatening to cut the seat of your pants right down the middle. After a few minutes of frantic running, he caught sight of the rusty, paint-chipped van. It was rocking on its nearly deflated wheels and there was a quiet sound coming from the inside: sobbing.

Edd.

Kevin slowed his pace as he reached the van. He looked back at Nat before banging his fist against the old metal door.

"Edd, is that you?" Kevin called softly, noticing that the sobbing ceased almost immediately.

"Please, go away." A small voice came after about two endless minutes of waiting for a reply.

"Edd, it's Kevin. I...We should talk." He stuttered, trying to pick his words well.

Inside the van, Edd was suddenly panicking. Talk? What could he possibly want to talk about? Unless… Oh, he knew! He knew the truth! Or no, he started to believe the stupid rumor and he wanted to know the truth, probably so he could spread it around the school and ruin him-or worse, join Andrew… Edd's hands slid under his beanie and gripped onto his black hair. No, oh no… He squeezed his eyes shut, the stale air sitting in the van suffocating his lungs, the old metal closing in on him until he couldn't breathe.

"Go away!" He cried, unable to hide the sob in his voice. "Please, just leave me alone!" Without invitation, the van door opened, nearly falling off its hinges, and the familiar red head stepped through, carefully sitting in a spot on the van's chair that didn't have a spring poking out of it.

"Edd…" Kevin hesitantly placed his hand on Edd's shaking back.

"What do you want, Kevin?" Edd couldn't help it if he was rude, and he really couldn't care less.

"I… I wanted to make sure you were okay." Kevin stammered and he looked down at his lap. "Look, Edd, don't be mad at Nat, but-"

"He told you." Edd cut him off. Kevin shifted and he cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes he did."

"And?" Kevin frowned and he looked at Edd, who had his legs pulled to his chest and his face buried in his knees.

"What do you mean and?" Kevin asked. Finally, Edd looked up at him. His face was tear stained and his eyes red and puffy. But there was something else in their: anger, fear.

"Are you going to go run over to Andrew and give him a big grin and a high five? Or maybe tell him to let you join in next time? I can give you a time and date if you would like." Kevin stared at him in shock.

"What are you talking about?" Edd looked away, silent. "Edd, what he did to you was terrible…" Kevin was silent for a moment. "Why was he at your house today?" Edd hid his face in his knees again.

"He is going to tell the whole school, he thinks that if he tells everyone, that everyone will think it is funny, that it was just him messing with the nerdy kid and that everyone will love him for it. And I know that it is true, I know how people here think. He will tell, unless…" Kevin swallowed hard. He didn't need Edd to finish his sentence, he knew exactly what he meant.

"Don't let him do it, Edd. Don't let him hurt you like that again." Edd shook his head, still refusing to look at Kevin.

"What choice do I have, Kevin? Honestly, what choice do I have? He will tell the whole school. I can't have it happen again."

"Well I'm not going to sit back and watch him take advantage of you like that. It's wrong, Edd. And it's illegal." Edd shook his head.

"It was then, but it won't be now. I'm of age." Kevin couldn't believe the words he was hearing.

"It's rape, Edd! It doesn't matter how old you are! Double D, you need to tell someone about this. Your parents-"

"What makes you think they'll care? They never care."

"Maybe about this they will. This is more important than whether or not you're top of your class. This is for your physical and your mental health."

"My mental health is perfectly fine, thank you." Kevin couldn't hide a scoff.

"You're sitting here in a dirty van in a junkyard, crying and telling me all of the things you are. It doesn't seem like it is perfectly fine."

"I'm sorry if this is rude, Kevin," Edd said, looking up at him. "But this is none of your business. I just ask that you won't go around telling everyone."

"I won't tell anyone, Edd. I promise. And I know this now, so there's no way you're going to kick me out of this. I want to help. Please, let me help." Edd looked down and he slowly pulled his hands out of his hair. Cautiously, Kevin wrapped his arm around Edd's shoulder, pulling him close. SIlently, Edd laid his head and Kevin's shoulder and the two sat silently, wondering what to do now.


End file.
